As the use of mobile electronic products continues to increase, such as PC notebooks, PDAs , cellular telephones, MP3 players and the like, the need for low cost, compact power supplies and solutions to power and recharge these products also continues to increase. Most manufacturers of mobile products typically provide plug-in power adapters along with these mobile products to help provide the power supply needs of their customers.
Today's power adapters are typically AC-to-DC, or DC-to-DC power converters which are configured to convert an AC voltage to a DC voltage, or step-up or step-down the DC voltage input delivered to the mobile device. With AC-to-DC adapters, for example, users can power most mobile devices by simply plugging the adapter into a standard AC wall outlet commonly found in most homes and offices. Similarly, when only DC input power is available, such as in an automobile or airplane, users can still power their mobile devices by simply using a standard, off-the-shelf DC-to-DC adapter, such as with a cigarette lighter connector. Normally, both adapters are designed and tailored to provide a regulated DC output voltage, which voltage typically ranges from between 5VDC to 30VDC depending on the power requirements of mobile device being powered.
Although these power adapters conveniently provide direct power and recharging capabilities, users are often required to carry separate adapters to provide power to each individual mobile device. This often means that users have to carry multiple adapters for each device: one for an AC input power source, and another for a DC input power source. Moreover, users with multiple devices are typically required to carry multiple adapters to power all the multiple devices, thereby increasing the amount of bulk a user is required to carry, which is also tedious.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a power converter and system that resolves the system power management problems associated with carrying all of the different power supply components necessary to power a wide variety of mobile and portable devices having different power requirements. Moreover, there is a need for a power converter and system that is programmable for providing power with selected electrical characteristics.